Give Up the Dead (Oceanview Publishing) is the third in Joe Clifford’s Jay Porter PI series. Reading Clifford’s latest makes me thankful of that I gave up my compulsion to read a new-to-me series in order — all that does is make my TBR longer. Jumping into the latest book severely cuts down on my TBR except in cases like this where I finished Give Up the Dead and then added Cliffords’ December Boys and Lamentation, and his fictional memoir Junkie Love to my TBR. Best intentions, I guess.

The latest Jay Porter book opens over Thanksgiving weekend in Clifford’s fictional New Hampshire which could go to toe to toe with Russel Bank’s own New England bleakness: Porter eats Thanksgiving dinner with his ex-wife and son in a Denny’s. This is not even the low point in Porter’s life. He lives alone in an apartment above a gas station where he keeps his apartment too cold because he cannot afford to heat it. Porter’s nights usually consist of lamely-cooked pasta and a six-pack of beer, all of which is chased by a few Marlboro Lights. His days are not much better, “By noon I was sick of stale coffee, cigarettes, and my neurosis.”

Porter’s neuroses consist of plenty of bad decisions that haunt him continuously: a job that may disappear, a son living in another man’s house, thoughts of his brother and countless what ifs, and his best friend slowly killing himself with alcohol. The irony with his friend’s demise is that Porter cannot see his own reflection in his friend’s alcoholism and desperate life. In one scene, Porter talks to a woman about a young man who has gone missing.

“This is my job. I help run a drug and alcohol center. You do this long enough, you start to see patterns, recognize reoccurring looks. An expression in the eye.”

“I have a . . . reoccurring look?” I scoffed, inviting commentary with a two-finger curl. “Okay, let’s have it. What’s my ‘look’?”

She didn’t miss a beat. “You look like a guy who drinks every day. Mostly beer. So you don’t think it’s a problem. You look like a guy who set limits for himself. No more than a six-pack a night. Most nights he keeps that promise. Except sometimes he gets stressed, and then, fuck it. But that’s okay, because it’s just beer, right? You look like a guy who knows people who drink way more than he does, people with real drug and alcohol problems.” Alison glanced at my callused hands. “You work outdoors. Heavy lifting. In the trenches, man’s work. None of that cubicle bullshit for you, and out in the fields, men like you can handle their alcohol. Most of all, men like you don’t ask for help even when it’s beginning to affect their personal life.”

“My personal life?”

“I’ll go out on a limb and say you are divorced?”

“Anything else?”

“Since you asked.” There was that smile again. “Judging by the dark circles under your eyes, I’m guessing you don’t sleep too well, high strung, anxiety issues. You need something to relax, help you rest, sleeping pills, benzos, the occasional painkiller. But you don’t touch anything illegal. Anything you take, a doctor prescribes.” Alison smirked. “Am I close?”

“Not even. I don’t touch painkillers.”

“I noticed the limp, so I figured—”

“You figured wrong.” I shook my head, incredulous. “It’s been a bad few years. But I don’t have a problem.”

“Okay.”

Even if Porter cannot see his problems, everyone else can.

After writing some 250 words, I realized that I barely mentioned the crimes surrounding this piece of crime fiction. And as good as the mysteries are in Joe Clifford’s Give Up the Dead, they are not the reason to read this book, it is Jay Porter’s authenticness in life’s struggles which captivated me. Porter is the remnant of a Springsteen lyric, he is desperately trying to reclaim what was once his. Porter seems to be drifting to towards forgiving himself, but if Clifford’s series ends in tragedy, no reader would be surprised.

The story revolves around several damaged characters, especially Jay Porter, who continues to berate himself for not doing more to save his brother. As his story continues, he is suspected of various crimes as someone seems to be setting him up. He reaches into his past to find the help he needs to figure out what is going on and resolve his problems. Needless to say, the story is exciting and full of action and suspense. The resolution is long in coming, and worth the wait. There is a hint of romance that quickly fades, but it sets Jay up for a better future. I found lots to enjoy in this story, and it kept me in suspense.

this is now book # 3 in the Jay Porter series and another very good entry. Clifford writes this character with such ease and believability that despite his often depressing circumstances you keep turning the pages hoping for better times ahead. it is now 3 years later and Jay is learning to live without Jenny and Aiden and slowly coming to terms with his own fragile mental well being. he is also back working for Tom in the antique/estate sale business and this is what drives the plot in this one. the story eventually involves a missing teen, local rehab centres, a wealthy steel magnate, trouble at work and on the personal side. all tied together pretty well by the end and it looks like we have not seen the last of Jay. hard to imagine from the end of this one, but hopefully there will be better days ahead.
Thanks again to netgalley and the publisher for a chance to review. much appreciated.

"...in the world of investigation, there’s no such thing as coincidence."

This is the third book in the Jay Porter series, after LAMENTATION and DECEMBER BOYS. It starts three years after DECEMBER BOYS ended (and if you haven't read the first two books you really should to get the most out of this story).

Jay Porter is now divorced and his ex-wife is remarried to the guy she kept claiming was just a "friend" in the last book. His son, Aiden, is now six years old and Jay hates being a weekend father.

In fact, Jay hates most everything. He is a dark, miserable man as he has been in the last two books before this.

I understand dark and gritty and true-to-life. I lived through a good portion of parts of these books when I was young. I'm an alcoholic and haven't drank or used drugs since 1981.

But come on. I would like to see Jay see some light at the end of the tunnel. His son is healthy. His ex-wife lets him see Aiden whenever he wants to. He has a job, a warm place to lay his head at night, enough food to eat.

I hope he starts seeing how lucky he REALLY is and gets over his Eeyore complex one of these days.

This was another dark, gritty mystery and the storyline was interesting - full of twists and turns. It is well worth reading, as all three books in the series have been. Just don't be expecting sunshine, lollipops and puppies.

I received this book from Oceanview Publishing through Net Galley in exchange for my unbiased review.

Third book in the Jay Porter series and it was another good one. Jay seems to always find some kind of trouble and works his way through it. As always good story, great characters and setting. Easy four star book.

Thanks to NetGally for the chance to read it early and will be adding it to my shelves along with Clifford's first two Jay Porter books.

Give up the dead by Joe Clifford.
Three years have passed since estate-clearing handyman Jay Porter almost lost his life following a devastating accident on the thin ice of Echo Lake. His investigative work uncovering a kids-for-cash scandal may have made his hometown of Ashton, New Hampshire, a safer place, but nothing comes without a price. The traumatic, uncredited events cost Jay his wife and his son, and left him with a permanent leg injury. Jay is just putting his life back together when a mysterious stranger stops by with an offer too good to be true: a large sum of cash in exchange for finding a missing teenage boy who may have been abducted by a radical recovery group in the northern New Hampshire wilds. Skeptical of gift horses and weary of reenlisting in the local drug war, Jay passes on the offer. The next day his boss is found beaten and left for dead, painting Jay the main suspect. As clues begin to tie the two cases together, Jay finds himself back on the job―and back in the line of fire.
This was a good read with good characters. Little slow in places. So only a 4*. Netgalley and ocean view publishing.

Thanks to Oceanview Publishing and Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for this honest review.

Give Up the Dead, Joe Clifford’s third book in this terrific and excellent written series takes place 3 years from the last book, December Boys. Although in this book, Jay Porter still deals with family issues, they are not as prevalent as the first two books in the series and this book is closer to a traditional crime novel.

Porter is back working for Tom Gable buying and selling furniture and other home items mostly from estate sales. He’s also still recovering from the leg injury he suffered 3 years ago and adjusting to his new life.

Soon after helping his boss buy from Thanksgiving Day estate sale in New Hampshire, Porter is visited by Vin Buscoglio, a strange man that asks him to help find a missing teenage boy. Despite the high offer, Porter is not interested. He reconsiders the offer somewhat the next day when Tom talks about getting out of the business and selling to Porter, who feels he’s unlikely to have enough money.

Later that night Porter finds out from Sheriff Turley that someone attached Gable and he is severely injured, landing in the hospital in a coma. Jay is the main suspect especially when a note is found willing the business to him in the event of Gable’s death. Porter’s love for Gable and his desire to find the true attacker gives all the incentive he needs to begin his own investigation. Porter also realizes he needs money and he also tries to find Vin Buscoglio and the missing teenage boy. Porter enlists the help of his friends and tries to stay out of the way of Sheriff Turley.

Give Up the Dead is another terrific addition to this series. I’ve read them all and each one provides an exceptional story with realistic and interesting characters. Jay Porter is a flawed and emotionally damaged person but he has grown throughout the series and I’m really looking forward to reading more of his adventures.

Joe Clifford manages to get better with each outing in the series, and that's saying something considering how good the first two were. Jay’s self-reflection has taken on a new, more mature depth, and the mystery this go ‘round is exquisitely layered.

I really love this series. I vacation every summer in NH and Clifford is spot on with his descriptions of the people and places. I love his characters, all flawed individuals, and his plots roll along and have me turning the page.

GIVE UP THE DEAD, is a fast moving dark mystery thriller full of twists and turns from the very beginning. Joe Clifford introduces protagonists Jay Porter. Clifford’s main character, Jay Porter, is an abrasive loner who is dealing issues from his past. The author share details of Jay’s backstory including details of his recovery from a serious injury, his messy divorce, and the death of his parents and brother. Clifford builds on Jay’s character allowing him to grow and become a more likable person.

The storyline follows Jay as he deals with an offer to find a missing teenager whose abduction is move than is seems. Readers sit on Jay’s shoulder as he reluctantly accepts the job to get a nest egg that will allow him to purchase his bosses estate liquidation business. The investigation leads Jay to uncover a shady drug rehab program somewhere in New Hampshire wilderness close to the Lamentation Mountains. The storyline increases in intensity and intrigue when Jay’s boss is attached and beaten unconscious, and the sheriff considers Jay the prime suspect.

Clifford adds interesting support characters are providing each characters history and the roles they play when they enter the storyline. The author creates subplots changing the storyline direction adding to the suspense and mystery and as each event unfolds Clifford’s readers ending up holding their breath wondering what will happen next. GIVE UP THE DEAD’s momentum never slows down and Jay’s investigation leads him to uncover a dangerous antagonist who adds to a riveting ending setting the stages for Clifford’s next Jay Porter novel a must read.

This is a multifaceted story, set amongst an atmospheric setting.

Reluctant detective Jay Porter is back and as misanthropic as ever in Joe Clifford’s latest novel, Give Up the Dead. That’s good news for anyone who likes their mysteries darker than a cup of three-year-old motor oil, because like Clifford’s earlier efforts (Lamentation and December Boys), this book is bleak – in the best way possible. This ain’t your grandma’s favorite cozy mystery, that’s for sure.

It’s been three years since Porter’s last case left his life in shambles, and he appears content to give up the wannabe detective life for good – until a strange man shows up on his doorstep with an offer almost impossible to refuse: find a missing kid who’s been taken to a shady drug rehab somewhere in the wilderness and haul in a score that could change his life. Unfortunately, nothing’s ever simple for Porter (always at least partially because of his own stubborn obstinance…) – and things only get more complicated when his boss is attacked and left in a coma and Jay is the prime suspect. Now, with his freedom on the line, Porter once again finds himself working a case when he’d rather hole up in his dingy one-room apartment and be pissed at the world.

One of the most common criticisms lobbed at the Jay Porter books is that Porter is an unlikeable protagonist. There’s at least a grain of truth to the criticism, because Jay is prickly even by the standards of hard-boiled detective fiction. However, I’d argue that this prickly disposition is what makes Jay so compelling in many ways – his self-destructive tendencies can be aggravating (I like to think of him in the same vein as Californication’s Hank Moody – another deeply flawed character we come to love despite the fact that he’s often his own worst enemy), but it’s also easy to see they’re a defense mechanism. Porter is a damaged character – and that’s never more apparent than in this book. He’s a man on the verge of hitting rock bottom, wracked by guilt over his inability to help his junkie brother, to be a good husband and father, and to fit into the role society has set aside for him. He lashes out at the world in frustration because of it – mostly because he doesn’t feel the world’s punished him enough for his own failings yet. This occasionally makes Jay a tough character to like, but he’s the ultimate underdog – which keeps you rooting for him as he goes up against characters with seemingly insurmountable resources and power. At the very least, Jay Porter is a welcome break from the sea of cookie-cutter protagonists populating modern crime fiction. The character is deeper than he appears to be at first glance.

This is, of course, a credit to Clifford as an author. The beauty of Joe Clifford’s work is the way he so competently crafts a well-structured mystery plot, then couples it with prose that sings on the page. Clifford reminds me of Ken Bruen and Joe R. Lansdale in this regard: the writing can be funny, maudlin, and poetic – often all at once -- but it’s always beautiful. Give Up the Dead may be his finest effort to date as far as the quality of the writing is concerned – which is no small feat, since both previous books featured some really striking passages.

With Give Up the Dead, Joe Clifford once again proves his work deserves a wider audience. This is a top-notch novel from a writer who’s just hitting his stride. Hop on bandwagon now, so you can tell all your friends you were reading his work before it was the hip thing to do.

Give Up The Dead by Joe Clifford is the third book in the Jay Porter series.

These three novels have been good crime novels, with Give Up Your Dead being the better of the three. In this novel, Porter is still brushing up against the powerful and dealing with behind the scenes people intent on doing him harm. Clifford brings back other supporting characters from the previous two novels and introduces other new characters.

As noted above, this is the better of the three novels and to me, actually carried more emotional ties to the main character and his supporting cast. It will be interesting to see the future of Jay Porter.

Now, my main criticism of this series is Jay Porter is a frustrating character to really care about. He is abrasive and irritable and to me, this is the weak part of the novels, especially more so in the first two novels. When I started reading the third installment, it did appear that Clifford was developing Porter in a way to make him a more sympathetic character.

I would recommend this series to others.

Here is a review by Jennifer: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1939195020

We catch up with Jay Porter 3 years after the events of "December Boys" and once again, Jay finds himself on the wrong end of, well, everything. First he is offered a boatload of cash (from a stranger) to find and retrieve a rich mans son from (maybe) a cult of some sort, and then his boss at the estate clearing company is beaten into a coma and yup, Jay is the prime suspect. As before, you find yourself cheering for Jay even as you cringe over some of his choices.

A well constructed plot delivered at a slowly unfolding pace made this another absorbing "everyman" story from Joe Clifford. Thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for an ARC. Highly recommended series.

In my humble opinion, Joe Clifford is the best storyteller working today. His third installment of the Jay Porter series ratchets up the heat on Jay and the reader and what follows is a fast-paced ride beginning with his boss's beating and doesn't stop until a very satisying conclusion.

I love Clifford's quick and crisp dialog and the intricately plotted story line. Bravo and kudos to this author.

Good read. Lots of twists and turns. Liked the characters. Would recommend.

I really like this series and love reluctant hero Jay Porter. Life has handed him a lot of grief some of it due to his struggles with his own inadequacies. Still he always attempts to persevere and right the wrongs he sees amidst mystery and danger to himself and those around him. Trouble just seems to find him a at every turn. This is another great chapter in his life story and I can't wait for the next.One!

Give Up the Dead by Riley Sager

The first thing I should point out that this is the third book in the Jay Porter series, but the first one I have read. This quickly became obvious as the narrative outlined Jay’s troubled past, referring to a serious injury he had sustained and the loss of his family and thereby explaining his current position. So we are presented with our hero, a hard-working, honest, ethical man, plagued by doubts and pretty much a loner – the good guy, illustrated by his clearing snow from his elderly landlord’s parking lot.

Jay gets involved, almost by default, in investigating the abduction of the son of a wealthy businessman, not a kidnapping, but an intervention and then it becomes complicated.

I cannot say that I found this to be an exciting, thrilling book. It is well-written and certainly invoked the inhospitable climate of the Lamentation Mountains and I could not but like Jay and his friends. However, this reminded me of the hard-bitten detective novels where the hero is always a loner, always honest, always misunderstood and more importantly, always manipulated by local police, the woman and his past.

My description would be ‘more of a slow-burn than fast paced’. Is it worth a read? Yes, but don’t expect to be enthralled if you are looking for a more involved thriller – like ‘Silence of the Lambs’.

I was given a copy of this to read by NetGalley via my kindle in return for an honest review.

thank you.
enjoyed it,
will get copies for family and friends.